Dallas Agent Sam Sawyer Uber Upset That Dallas Doing In Uber…

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Sam SawyerBriggs-Freeman Sotheby’s agent Sam Sawyer had the very same reaction Joanna and I did to this ridiculous anti-Uber move on the part of Dallas taxis. No, I have not taken a Dallas taxi in years, not since the last ride when my butt not only counted but memorized the rusted springs in the seat. Last time I was in New York, Denver and Atlanta, all the cabbies took credit cards. You are telling me Dallas cabbies still cannot swipe cards? I have one word for them: SQUARE.

(This was originally posted by  on August 26, 2013 in Entrepreneur News)

Why innovate when you can complain to the city of Dallas to just change the law and protect your business? The local taxi companies seem to think that is fair. Heck, they offer a sub-par service, rarely take credit cards, do not have an app that is worth downloading, and basically haven’t innovated in who knows how long, and they are wondering why a superior service such as Uber is taking their business. Hmm…

Click here to familiarize yourself with a recent article in the Dallas Morning News explaining how taxi-cab operators/owners are upset that Uber has taken so much of their business. Saied Rafie, owner of Cowboy Cab, insisted Uber “is basically an illegal operation” viewed by his industry as nothing more than “organized Gypsy cabs.” THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

This isn’t just a transportation issue, but more so of an innovation and entrepreneurial issue that our city needs to take very seriously. Is our Dallas City Council actually going to change the law to stifle innovation and protect a sub-par business from losing more customers? Does that seem fair to you?

The reason Uber is doing so well in this city is that most of the taxi services are pathetic. We live in one of the biggest cities in the USA, and a good number of the drivers here refuse to accept credit cards. If the user experience of taking a taxi-cab was anywhere close to the level of service offered by Uber, then I don’t even think this would be an issue before our City Council. The fact that our taxi-system is so lackluster and more a efficient and effective company has entered the landscape here in Dallas is the reason for all the fuss on the part of the taxi-cab community.

It will be a severe blow to the entrepreneurial spirit and innovative community here in Dallas if our beloved City Council makes a serious attempt at shutting down Uber. You cannot punish a business for being more innovative than a rival company. Innovation is what keeps our country moving forward and to place some BS law on the Uber drivers to protect the cab companies will not help anyone in the long term.

The taxi companies should step up their game and stop complaining about losing business. Offer a comparable service and maybe you won’t need to go crying to your friends at the City Council that a more efficient and effective transportation service is available to replace your pathetic efforts of transportation in our thriving city.

If you are cab driver, go complain to your boss about your outdated dispatch systems and piss-poor payment options. Ask them to upgrade your cars so your company can offer an app-based method to order a cab. Tell them to call up the City of New York and ask them where they bought their credit card processing systems (riders can swipe their cards and add a tip- without waiting for the driver to use the old-school paper method of taking a card imprint that takes 10-15 minutes once you arrive at your destination). Go buy Square and start swiping credit cards on your iPhone. GO DO SOMETHING AND STOP COMPLAINING.

If you love Uber, please spread the word!

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

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